Full Face Transplant Beyond Science Fiction

Full Face Transplant

If you’ve ever watched the 90’s hit action film, Face Off, starring Nicholas Cage and John Travolta, then it is likely you’ve thought about whether or not transplanting someone’s entire face is actually possible. Luckily, as the old timers would say, “the future has arrived!” And indeed it has.

In Reality

A full facial transplant is essentially facial reconstruction surgery on steroids. The procedure is very similar to getting a regular organ transplants, in that a deceased donor’s face is given to a patient in need. However, unlike the movie, the recipients will not have their donor’s face. This is because only a soft mask of skin and tissue is given to the patient, so any facial features from the original donor is lost during the process. So although the idea of impersonating someone through a facial transplant is out the window, it still offers patients who have horrific facial injuries to piece their lives back together and once again be comfortable to show their face in public.

The First of Many

Since the first successful recovery of Dallas Wiens, who is the first full face transplant recipient, the operation has become more and more advanced, allowing patients who have severe facial injuries an opportunity to finally stop wearing their masks and be unashamed once again to show their face to the world.  In just a few years, this surgical treatment has taken an exponential leap in technique and success rate.

The Pioneers of Full Face Transplant

Following the successful operation and recovery of Dallas Wiens, patients from across the globe are going against the odds in hopes of getting their life back to normal. Patients like 39 years old Richard Norris, has also gone through his own revolutionary facial reconstruction procedure, and managed to live through it all despite a 50% survival chance prediction by his doctor. A shotgun accident in 1997 has left Richard Norris with a missing jaw, turning his life upside down and forcing him to live as a recluse for nearly 15 years, until he met Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez. A leading specialist in his field, Dr. Rodriguez has performed full face transplants on cadavers but never on a live patient. It was clear that a successful operation on Richard Norris will prove to be a milestone in the technical advancement of full face transplant procedures. Two years after the historical operation, Norris is still taking anti-rejection drugs and making regular trips to the hospital for assessment. It is clear however, that his quality of life has improved significantly, even being featured on the cover of GQ magazine, highlighting his remarkable journey and transformation in life.

A Long Way to Go

Even with the great advancements made, a full face transplant treatment is still in its infancy. There is still a long way to go before the procedure is able to treat even the most severe cases, let alone be affordable enough to the masses. However, great leaps and bounds are being made to tackle the most prevalent hindrance to the progress of this procedure: transplant rejection.

Transplant Rejection

There is always a 10% risk of rejection when a patient undergoes an organ transplant, and the chances only increase 2-5 years after the operation. Over one-third of all patients in history have experienced transplant rejection. Today, greater emphasis is being placed on minimizing the risk of facial transplant rejection. This is because when a kidney transplant is rejected, the patient simply has to go back on dialysis until a new organ is ready. But when it comes to face transplants, a rejection could cause the skin on the face to fall off, which is sure to be a horrific sight to behold. Face transplant patients will have to be on immune suppression drugs and constantly be monitored by doctors for the rest of their lives. In consideration these great odds, experts are still debating whether the benefits and success rate are even worth it for the trouble the patients have to go through. Only time will tell if this revolutionary procedure will prove to be an essential addition to the cosmetic surgery field.

- KT